Shotgun sight attachment



DBHFCH [1001 x G. 1.. KING SHOTGUN siGHT ATTACHMENT Oct;

'Filjed Oct. 25, 1953 INVENTOR Gear *1. King ATTORNEYS tiiOtiiiRiC/u.lwt'iiiiiivmi z s.

Patented Oct. 6, 1936 UNITED STATES \N V beaten i100! PATENT OFFICESHOTGUN SIGHT ATTACHMENT George L. King, St. Paul, Minn.

Application October 23, 1933, Serial No. 694,787

2 Claims. (01. 3351) The present invention relates to a shotgun sightattachment, and more particularly to a sight attachment for use in wingshooting to determine the range of a flying target and the amount oflead required to have the shot charge strike the target.

Many hunters who have done wing shooting for years have no accurateconception of the distance to lead a bird in order to hit it, andalthough in time they may reach a degree of proficiency which assuresthem of a fair percentage of hits, this stage is only reached by a trialand error process which wastes a great deal of ammunition and results indissatisfaction onthe part of the hunter.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effectivegun sighting attachment for wing shooting.

In order to attain this object, there is provided, in accordance withone feature of the invention, a sight base mounted transversely of thebarrel of a shotgun, near the muzzle, and having a plurality of pairs ofsight elements mounted thereon, each pair of sight elements being spacedapart a distance which, with the focal point of a shooters eye in anormal shooting position, as the apex, will define an angle which, whenextended, will intercept the front and rear, respectively, of a targetof predetermined length, a predetermined distance forwardly of themuzzle of the gun. In one embodiment of the invention each pair of sightelements is laterally offset from the bore axis of the gun a sufficientdistance to provide the proper amount of lead for a normal size duckflying at a known speed when the lines of vision extended from any pairof sight elements intercept the head and tail of said duck,respectively.

These and other features of the invention will be more fully brought outin the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a conventional type of shotgun witha sight embodying the present invention mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view through the barrel of a shotgun,similar to that shown in Figure 1, a plurality of ducks at variousranges being indicated in sighting position as they would appear to theshooter.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the device shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side view of the device shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 of a sight attachment for use onguns with a ramp front sight or full raised rib.

Figure 6 is a sectional view similar to Figure 2 showing adouble-barreled shotgun with the sight attachment mounted thereon, theends of the sight attachment being broken away.

Figure 7 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 6 showing thesight attachment and ramp front sight of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a view in perspective of a hunter using a gun with thesighting attachment shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the bore axis beingprojected by an alternate dash and dot line and the lines of visionbeing projected by dashed lines from the hunters eye past three pairs ofsight elements to three ducks at different ranges.

Figure 9 is a view in perspective of a sighting attachment to be used asa range finder without the leading arrangement, the fore end of a barrelbeing indicated in dotted lines; and

Figure 10 is an end view of the sighting device shown in Figure 9, threeducks being indicated as they would appear at different ranges.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a shotgun A is of a conventionaltype of autoloading shotgun with stock I and barrel 2. A customary beadfront sight 3 is provided at the muzzle end of the barrel 2.

A sighting attachment B comprises a flat, horizontally disposed member4, preferably of spring steel, with upturned sighting elements arrangedin pairs of one larger sighting element and one smaller sighting elementeach.

The inner pair of sighting elements 5 and 6 on each side has the largersighting element 5 spaced inwardly from the smaller sighting element 6,these sighting elements being spaced apart a distance sufficient todefine an angle between the focal center of a shooters eye and the headand tail, respectively, of a normal size duck when flying transverselyto the bore axis of the gun at a distance, for example, of twenty yards,and are spaced laterally from the bore axis a distance sufiicient toproperly lead a duck flying at a known speed toward the bore axis atsaid range of twenty yards.

The second pair of sighting elements on each side, numbered 1 and 8,respectively, are spaced apart a distance to define an angle which willintercept the head and tail of a duck, respectively, when flying, forexample, at a distance of thirty yards, and are spaced laterally fromthe bore axis a distance sufficiently to lead the duck when the duck isflying toward the bore axis at a distance of thirty yards; while theouter pair of sighting elements 9 and I0, respectively, are spaced apartas above set forth and offset from the bore axis sufficiently to defineand properly lead a duck flying at a range, for example, of forty yardsfrom the shooter.

Extending rearwardly from the flattened spring steel base 4 is aprojecting portion ll having downwardly curved spring arms I2 and I3adapted to resiliently grip the barrel of the gun to hold the sightingelement in position thereon. An elongated, tapered slot M has anenlarged forward portion adapted to receive the bead sight 3 of the gunand having an inwardly tapered rear portion adapted to wedge against thesight and hold the member B against lateral displacement. Upon eachfiring of the gun the recoil of the gun will tend to force the sight 3rearwardly in the opening [4 which will securely prevent dislodging ofthe member B during successive shooting operations.

The modified forms shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7 are merely to showdifferences in the mounting structures to accommodate diiferent types ofshotgun barrels.

In the form shown in Figure 5 the barrel 2-a has a well known type oframp I5 on the forward end thereof with an ordinary bead sight 3amounted thereon. In this type of mounting it is preferable to havespring arms I3-a and I3-a at the front and rear ends, respectively, ofthe ramp to securely hold the sight in position thereon, otherwise thegeneral structure of this device is similar to that shown in Figures 1,2, 3, and 4.

In the structure shown in Figure 6 the double barrel arrangement 2-1) isof a conventional form for double barreled shotguns 3, except that theyare more widely separated to receive the double barrels 2-b. The deviceis secured to a customary bead sight 3b in the same manner as is shownin Figure 3.

The structure shown in Figure 7, being similar to that shown in Figure5, the parts are similarly numbered.

In the modified form shown in Figures 9 and 10 the device comprises astrip of spring steel having a fiat central portion I6 with a slottedopening l'l similar to the opening I4 shown in Figure 3 to engage thefront sight bead 3-0. The spring strip is bent upwardly as at I8 and ISin the form of steps, these steps being separated sufficiently so thatthe line of vision from the shooters eye past these steps will interceptthe head and tail, respectively, of a duck at a distance of, forinstance, forty yards. The strip is carried horizontally from thesesteps and is again bent up as at 2| and 22 to intercept the head andtail, respectively, of a duck 23 at a range of thirty yards, and a thirdpair of steps 24 and 25 are separated a distance to intercept the headand tail, respectively, of a duck 26 at a distance of, for instance,twenty yards. This sight, it is apparent, has no self-leadingcharacteristics and acts merely as a range finder so that after theshooter has become proficient in properly leading a duck for differentranges, it will be necessary for him merely to know the range of a duckto be able to properly lead the same without artificial assistance, suchas is provided in the sights shown in the other illustrations in Figures9 and 10.

It is suggested, as a means for the user to become proficient in the artof wing shooting, that he first use a sight embodying thecharacteristics set forth in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive, which combinesthe range finding properties with the self-leading properties previouslyset forth. After becoming proficient in properly leading the birds theshooter may remove the device shown in Figures 1 to 8, inclusive, andsubstitute for it the range finding device shown in Figures 9 and 10.Thereafter, if the shooter should lose his sense of proper necessarylead acquired by the use of the device shown in Figures 1 to 8,inclusive, he may again return to this device until his sense ofjudgment with respect to the proper lead has been restored to a pointwhere he may substitute the more compact and less conspicuous deviceshown in Figures 9 and 10.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications of the structures illustrated and described may be readilydevised, and it is, therefore, not desired to limit the invention to thespecific structure herein shown except as set forth in the heretoappended claims.

I claim:

1. A sighting attachment for firearms comprising a basewelement mountedadjacent the muzzle...of...a firearm barrel, a plurality of pairs offixed, spaced sighting elements carried by said base, said pairs ofelements being spaced in decreasing progression outwardly away from thebarrel, for the purpose set forth.

2. A sighting attachment for firearms, comprising in combination withthe firearm barrel and front sight bead a base element mounted adjacentthe muzzle of the firearm barrel and transversely thereof, said baseelement being formed with an elongated, tapered slot, said slot forminga receiving opening for a sight head, with the inwardly tapered rearportion of the slot wedging against said bead, a plurality of pairs offixed, spaced sighting elements carried by said base, said pairs ofelements being spaced in decreasing progression outwardly from thebarrel, for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE L. KING.

